Vice President Mike Pence unveils White House plan for a 'Space Force'

August 9, 2018

Vice President Mike Pence on Thursday explained the Trump administration's plan to create a sixth branch of the military dedicated to establishing dominance in space. In June, President Trump ordered the Pentagon to establish a "Space Force," calling it "so important" and explaining that it would take over space-related duties from the Air Force. Pence offered details about the new agency Thursday, describing the Space Force as a way to "meet the emerging threats on this new battlefield" with dedicated space technology experts and defense systems. The White House wants to get the new department off the ground by 2020, The Washington Post reports, but it will likely face opposition from Congress.

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5 things you need to know now

Omarosa publicity tour provokes broadsides from Trump

4 states hold primaries Tuesday

Report: Pentagon spokeswoman under investigation for retaliating against staffers

On Tuesday morning, President Trump tweeted about his former White House aide Omarosa Manigault Newman: "When you give a crazed, crying lowlife a break, and give her a job at the White House, I guess it just didn't work out. Good work by General Kelly for quickly firing that dog!" CBSThis Morning earlier Tuesday posted a new recording from Manigault Newman that purports to lend credence to her claim that the president was recorded saying the N-word, and Manigault Newman herself appeared on MSNBC later Tuesday to claim that Trump knew in advance that WikiLeaks would make public a trove of leaked emails from Hillary Clinton in 2016. She also revealed that she has been interviewed by Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team.

Minnesota, Wisconsin, Connecticut, and Vermont are holding primary elections on Tuesday. Republicans have hopes to replace outgoing, unpopular Connecticut Gov. Dannel Malloy (D). In Wisconsin, eight Democrats are fighting to take on Gov. Scott Walker (R), two Republicans are battling to face Sen. Tammy Baldwin (D), and both parties have competitive races to replace House Speaker Paul Ryan (R). Vermont Democrats have four choices to challenge Gov. Phil Scott (R), including a transgender woman and a 14-year-old boy. Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) is vying for a shot at his old seat, and the race for attorney general has been roiled by domestic abuse allegations against Democratic frontrunner Rep. Keith Ellison. Several upper Midwest Republicans have had to downplay past criticisms of President Trump.

After receiving multiple complaints that she retaliated against staff members who once ran her personal errands, the Defense Department's Inspector General launched an investigation into Dana White, the Pentagon's chief spokeswoman, four people familiar with the matter told CNN on Tuesday. White is one of Defense Secretary James Mattis' most senior civilian advisers, and allegedly asked support staff to pick up her dry cleaning, buy things for her at the pharmacy, work on her mortgage application and other financial documents, and give her a ride to work when it snowed. Several people told CNN that in May, at least two staffers went to senior officials to let them know what White was doing, and not long after, White retaliated by having them transferred. The investigation began weeks ago, CNN reports. The Inspector General has interviewed at least six people so far.

A Pennsylvania grand jury released a report Tuesday that named more than 300 Catholic priests accused of child sex abuse. The 900-page report spans seven decades and draws from a two-year investigation by the state attorney general into six of Pennsylvania's eight dioceses. It is one of the largest collections of church sex abuse worldwide. The investigations started after separate probes into the other two dioceses revealed rampant abuse. Victims' accounts span decades, and some of the priests named have died. But others are still serving churches in Pittsburgh because their abuse claims weren't substantiated, Pittsburgh Bishop David Zubik told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Other priests' names will be redacted from the list because they're currently fighting allegations in court.

Paul Manafort's lawyers on Tuesday opted not to present a case nor call any witnesses, resting the defense for the former Trump campaign chairman just one day after Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team finished two weeks of prosecution. Manafort has been charged with tax evasion, money laundering, and bank fraud, among other charges. He is also accused of failing to report millions of dollars he earned while working as a political consultant in Ukraine ahead of joining the Trump campaign. Manafort's former bookkeeper and accountant testified against him, as did his former deputy, Rick Gates, who said Manafort used offshore accounts to hide money. Manafort did not take the stand.